Water-cooler



I. VAN WAGNER.

WATER COOLER.

(-No Model.)

Patented Oct. 24, 1882.

Witnesses. WW

N. PETERS. Phofio-Lithogmphur. wmm m, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC M. VAN \VAGNER, OF NYAOK, NEW YORK.

WATER-COOLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 266,561, dated October24, 1882.

Application filed June 7, 1882.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ISAAC M.VAN WAGNER, ofNyack,in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Water-Coolers; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itpertains to make and use it, reference beinghad to the accompanyingdrawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in water-coolers; and it consistsin the combination, with the cooler, of a suitable absorbent materialwhich will hold enough water to keep a constant evaporation going on,and which is supplied with water by asuitahle wick or wicks which extendthrough the side of the cooler, as will be more fully describedhereinafter.

The object of myinventionis to provide ships and cars with coolers inwhich the water or other article is cooled by the circulation of theair, so as to dispense with ice.

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a cooler, showing the air supplied bya fan operated by the axle of a car. Fig. 2 is a similar view, showingthe air supplied by the movement of the car alone. Fig. 8 is a verticalsection of a cooler having fines extending out through the side of thecar or ship. I

A represents acoolcr of any desired shape, size, or construction, andwhich has applied to its outer side any suitable absorbent material, B,which will hold water for the purpose of being evaporated by the passageof air around it. This absorbent material may be made of clay, woven orknit fabric, felt, or any other material. Inside of the cooler areplaced a suitable number of pipes, O, which extend from nearthe bottomup to the top of the cooler, and through which are passed suitablewicks, D. These wicks absorb the water and by capillary attraction carryit up through the sides of the cooler near thetop and drop it upon theabsorbent material.

The cooleris supported in any suitable manner inside of the outerinclosing case or jacket, i which is connected with air-fines at top andbottom, or upon opposite sides, so that the air will be kept movingaround the cooler, and thus evaporate the water in the absorbentmaterial, and by evaporation absorb the heat or (No model.)

warmth in the water in the cooler, and thus keep it always cool withoutthe use of ice. In some cases these air-flues G will be made to extendup through the floor of the car and up through the roof, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2, and the air will then be caused to circulate by means ofa fan, H, which is driven by suitable gearing from the axle of the car;or the lower end of the flue will be shaped as shown, so that theforward movement of the car alone will keep a rapid draft of air playingaround the cooler during the whole of the time the car is in motion. thecar is to supply the necessary air a suitable ball-valve will be placedin the horizontal portion 1 of the flue, and then the forward movementof the car will cause the air to drive the ball back into the rear endof the horizontal part, and thus prevent the air from passing directlythrough. As the air cannot pass directly through, the forward movementof the car forces it upward around the cooler and out through the top ofthe car. Should it be found inconvenient to make the tines as shown inFigs. 1 and 2, they may be attached to opposite sides of the jacket, asshown in Fig. 3,and then connected in any suitable manner with the sidesof the car or with pipes through which air is made to pass.

This cooler is adapted for use upon shipboard and in houses; but in thatcase the cur rent of air must be supplied by a wind-wheel or somesimilar means. The manner of supplying the air of course may be variedin a great many different ways, as this will be a matter of choice, andI do not therefore limit myself to any particular one.

I atn aware that retrigerators have been cooled by having a fibrousmaterial applied to their outer sides and moistened with water.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- In combination, therefrigerator A, the pipes 0, having wicks I) passing through them, andthe absorbent material B, which is applied to the refrigerator,substantially as shown.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

ISAAC M. VAN \VAGNER.

Witnesses:

WM. J. GREEN, EDWARD O. GREEN.

When the forward movement of

